Gwynn was stunned to hear that no players were voted into the Hall of Fame. He thought the ballot was loaded with Hall of Fame quality players. He understands the PED part of it, but there were other guys on the ballot that weren't associated with them.
"Bonds' and Clemens' numbers are just completely off the chart and some of it people are going to associate with PEDs." Gwynn thinks players like Bonds and Clemens will eventually get inducted into the Hall.
Gwynn thought Biggio was a no brainer Hall of Famer. He also thought that because of the PED issue that some players from other eras would get more votes.
It's not going to get any easier for suspected PED users to get in because of the talent coming in the next couple of years.
Some writers said they didn't vote for Gwynn because he should have done more to stop steroid use. Gwynn says he has thought about that an awful lot.
"We're all guilty. Every one of us. Every player, every trainer, every general manager, every media person. We all suspected it, but there was no where to go. There was no where to take your argument."
The players discussed the issue at last year's Hall of Fame induction. "Why didn't we know? And the truth is that lots of people knew but we just didn't have anywhere to go, no where to take our complaints."
Players would bring up the topic in the Player's Union meetings. Frank Thomas and Jim Abbott stood up in a meeting and brought it up in 1994, but it was just brushed off.
"We're all guilty there's no question, we're all guilty. We all had our thoughts and suspicions, and none of us really did anything about it."
Gwynn thinks that in 50 years people will suspect him of being a PED user, because he'll be lumped in with others of his era.
"My job as long as I'm living is to tell them 'No, I didn't, I played it straight.'"
When Gwynn competed against guys that he suspected on of cheating but he just focused on figuring out how to hit them.
Gwynn is going to Cooperstown anyway this summer. He doesn't know what to expect.
Gwynn played with Fred McGriff. McGriff gets hurt because other player's numbers were so good. Gwynn said McGriff "did it the old fashion way". He hopes one day McGriff will get in.
Gwynn would love to get to vote as a Hall of Famer. He would like the process of voting to be easier to understand and some standards set.